Replies

1. 
   peter28 | Aug 06, 2008 04:38am | #1

   You say you have gotten conflicting information? Welcome to the world of finishing!

   For the exterior chairs you should check into Sikkens Cetol marine finish. It is a good product.

   Teak can be interesting as it is an inherently oily wood. If I were to do these I would;

   First wash them down with some a dish soap and warm water. Dry them as you go.

   Sand them lightly with 180 sandpaper and clean all the dust off by vacuuming and then a rag. If you can blow the dust out of the pores with a compressor, so much the better.

   I would seal them with a coat of SealCoat, which is blonde shellac. You can purchase this in quarts at any paint store. It's solvent is denatured alcohol. This will seal the oily surface well and you can then use any product you are comfortable with as a topcoat. Shellac dries quickly so practice a little first. It is an interior product only.

   One thought if you want a good varnish that is very low in luster would be Interlux satin interior varnish. It can be found in any good boat supply shop in your area.

   It lays down nicely, and has a very soft appearance. Do at least three coats, lightly sanded in between coats with 220 or 320 as needed. Be sure and clean the dust off as you go.

   Once the last coat of varnish cures for at least a month, you can use some 0000 steel wool with a little wax on it to rub the surface of the arms down. This will give you a very silky surface that is great to touch.

   As I said before, welcome to the world of finishing. This is just one way to do it.

   Do yourself a big favor and check out some of the finishing books out there. You can find them in your library. Learn what the products can and can't do.

   Good luck.

   Peter

1. 
   allx4ems | Aug 15, 2008 04:39pm | #2

   Peter,I'm terribly sorry about choosing the wrong posting method.  I appreciate your clarification regarding the chairs. 

   You mentioned that the 'mahogany' would look just fine with the teak chairs; and yes, I have worked with it before, but in very rudimentary ways.  I built the bed in the living room of an apartment with nothing more than a jigsaw, circular saw, cordless drill and a few hand tools.  The remaining wood I have is already predimensioned and planed (but would need additional planing to square off the rounded over edges), so it will not be as thick as the dining room table directions call for.  My concern is that the table will suffer structurally due to the lack of thickness.

   And yes, I do sometimes wear makeup, but I just don't think it's right to try to make pine look like walnut.  With that being said, I am not familiar at all with color schedules, dyes or glazes.  Could you expound on options for the mahogany?

   Betsy